Thanks For Coming
by DarkMasterStarr
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki decides to finally answer to Hinata's confession properly. Post-war oneshot. NaruHina


**A/N:** A little bit of a more fluffy one-shot about a very overused (but sometimes sweet) couple.

Enjoy.

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"Thanks for coming, Hinata."

"Um, it's no problem, Naruto-kun." Hinata gazed forwards towards Naruto, and scanned him with her pearl-colored, pupil-less eyes.

It had been only a week since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, yet things hadn't quite gotten back to normal. There was a lot of mourning in the village; loved ones taken, some too soon. The war had been quite the mess. It didn't help that Konohagakure was still reeling from the attack by Pein, the former leader of the Akatsuki before the world war took place either.

As for the Akatsuki themselves, they were completely destroyed – every last one of them. The war had been the final nail in the coffin for them, though Hinata had known they had come close to putting their plans into fruition. Enslaving the world in their infinite genjutsu had almost come true. If it was not for the efforts of the man standing in front of her, the entire world would have come undone.

And yes, Naruto Uzumaki was a man now, wasn't he? He was no child any longer, and Hinata had seen the changes, especially during the war. Naruto had grown from a boy who cried out loudly his dreams, to a man who was close to grabbing that dream in his hands, and turning it into a reality. His hair was much longer now, so much it definitely needed a cut, but Hinata had liked this look. His eyes had never lost their beautiful blue hue, yet looked older, worldly. That was one of the reasons she had fallen for him, for his beautiful blue eyes.

The war had done so much to him. He lost friends, people he thought of as family – Neji was a sore spot for both her and Naruto – and the safe life he once knew had been shattered quite some time ago. His arm was also taken from him as well, now a prosthetic, artificial one taking its place, wrapped in bandages. Naruto's face looked more rugged, more mature, and yet, Hinata had liked this. She had liked this calm, and cool nature he had pulled off now; the calm and confident look that belonged to a man who would become king one day. He knew how strong he now was, and reveled in it. Times like this she had envied his strength, his ability to take the world dropping its weight on his shoulders and being able to hold it up.

"What's this about?" The Hyūga heiress had stated, taking in the surroundings of the clearing he had told her to meet her in. Green, lush grasses with a few surrounding trees around.

Naruto smiled gently at her. "It's been… quite some time we've last talked. I know you've been busy. I know I have."

She nodded. The entire village had been busy, of course. People were doing their best to accept what happened about a week ago, and rebuild their lives once again. "It has been hectic."

"I know we never really had a heart to heart before, but I wanted to speak to you… Ever since the Nag- I mean, the Pein saga…"

Ah. She was starting to realize what he was about to talk about. For some reason, Hinata started to feel a little hot in her cheeks, and more than a bit uncomfortable. She let him continue, studying him silently. "I just haven't had the time. Then again, maybe I didn't _make_ time. Perhaps a little bit of me was scared…"

"Scared?" She uttered, somewhat surprised. "Scared of what?"

"Of… Of responding back properly, you know? I- God, why is this so difficult?" Naruto took a second to breathe a little, sucking in and blowing out cool air. "I… Never had anyone say those words to me, Hinata. You know… 'I love you.' I didn't quite know how to respond to it, especially in such a heated battle with Pein. Then, when it was over, every time I thought about it, I blanked out, I froze. I was going to say something earlier but I didn't know what."

Hinata looked down. "It's okay…"

Naruto frowned at that. "No, no it's not. It's totally not fair. You're a good person to me, Hinata. I don't want to hurt you. Just… Just bear with me, okay? At least for a few minutes."

The blue haired teen nodded, and waited patiently. She was patient, but she couldn't help but feel like things were going to go south soon.

The blond young man sighed, and started speaking once again. "I never had a person tell me they loved me – nobody. Oh sure, I feel like people like me, or care about me, but no one told me they _loved_ me. Not Tsunade-baachan, not Shizune-neechan, not Ayame-neechan, or Teuchi-jiji, or Jiraiya. My teammates haven't either. Not Sasuke-teme, or Kakashi-sensei, or… Sakura." The absence of Sakura Haruno's suffix wasn't lost on Hinata. She didn't know what that meant, but it did not make her feel any easier. "What I'm saying is I don't quite know how it is to be loved by someone, you know? I felt awkward, uneasy, and nervous sometimes around you. I wanted to say something so badly, but the words never quite came out."

"Naruto… I understand." Hinata smiled, though it was pretty painful to do so. She wondered if Naruto could see that too. "I never asked you to love me back automatically. I just… Wanted to say it. I wanted to say for a very long time."

"How long?"

"Ever since the graduating year of the Academy."

Naruto gaped. "You loved me for that long? For five years?"

Hinata nodded, and Naruto looked on at her, staring into her face for any sort of indicator or anything from her part, to see if she was embellish the truth, just a little. When Naruto found none, it was his turn to smile quite painfully. "You've loved me since I was 12. How was I so blind?"

Hinata giggled a little. "I left a few hints here and there, but we didn't really hang out so much, so it's okay."

He scratched the back of his head, looking down as if he was guilty. "I don't know what to say to that. I can't help but to feel bad."

"Don't be. I never regretted liking you."

"I know." Naruto sighed, running his hands through his sunflower-colored hair.

"So, yeah… It's okay that you don't love me. You don't have to. I have admired you for so long, seen you from a distance, and wished I could have that strength you had. I wanted to be strong, just like you. You carried the world on your shoulders, and never stopped to complain, never gave in, never stopped walking. You were like a god to me."

For the first time in her life, she seen Naruto blush, and for once he was the one blubbering. "A-A g-god?"

Hinata's smile was smaller, but it was much less forced. "Just something close I could equate my feeling to. I worshiped you, is what I am saying. I truly did. You were someone I wanted to be just like. I wanted your strength."

Naruto frowned, looking at her in defiance. "But you were always strong, Hinata. You were strong ever since the Chūnin Exams. You were incredible then."

"Even when I lost?"

"It wasn't about winning. You stood up, and you fought, even when things seemed to be dim. You never needed my strength. You were always strong. Besides," Naruto looked down. "I was weak back then. I hid everything in a smile, and laugh, but I was still weak. I came a few times close to giving up, you know? A little bit more off the edge, and I would have exploded. Things were bad back then. I never want to go back."

"Me neither."

Naruto raised his head again to meet her gaze. "But yeah, I guess I'm saying… I don't love you. I love my friends, all of them, but I never had _love_ for them."

"I understand." She did, but it hurt a lot. Too much, and she wanted to leave and go somewhere quiet.

"But… Maybe I can try?"

She looked at him with surprise, and started to get breathless. Naruto stared at her intensely, his blue eyes piercing right into her soul. Once again in her life, her former habit of stuttering came back, "Y-Yo-You…"

Naruto smiled, rubbing his shoulders as a bit of a blush began to take his cheeks. "I'm willing to try it, if you want. Though, I'll be honest, I don't know shit about being a boyfriend, really."

"But… But what about…?" She started to ask, trailing off as she caught Naruto's flinch.

"Yeah, it won't work between her and me. Sakura loves me, I'm sure, but doesn't _love_ me."

"..." Hinata stared at him, suddenly feeling sick as she realized something in her head. _'Is he trying to...?'_

Naruto scratched his cheek, feeling uncomfortable. "So I-"

"No."

Naruto's eyes widened. "No…?"

Hinata looked up at him, and shook her head. Her eyes were starting to burn. "I don't want to be together if, if you came to me because Sakura rejected you."

Naruto looked confused for a few seconds, before realization and horror dawned on him. "No, no, that's not what I meant, Hinata. I just want to start fresh. I'm letting her go. She didn't reject me. I just been thinking about it for a while now."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed, and sat down on the grass of the clearing. "It started happening during the Kage Summit. Me, Yamato-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had just been approached by Obito, and had a bit of a showdown with him. Sakura had come in an effort to stop me from confronting Sasuke at the summit. Then, she confessed to me that she loved me." Hinata was glad Naruto was looking forward to the rest of the field and not her. "It was something I want to hear ever since I was 12. However, it wasn't true. She didn't love me. She never did. Not like that, anyway. All she wanted to do was see to Sasuke first before I did. She didn't want me to keep my promise, and bring him back. I couldn't tell you why she wanted that, but she did. Then when we did confront Sasuke, I knew it was tearing her up inside what Sasuke had become. I could see it in her eyes. There was no hiding it. No bogus confession or anything like that was going to change that.

"The final nail in the coffin was when Sasuke just recently left the village again. We went to see him off – me, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei. We said our goodbyes and everything, then Sakura stood in front of Sasuke and said her goodbye, then Sasuke chuckled, and put his hand on her head, and said 'I won't be too long', as if he was finally accepting her feelings for him. She never looked so damn happy, dattebayo. From there, I knew she had loved him, and I would never be able to win her heart, no matter what I did. So, I'm letting go."

"…Why then?" Hinata begun slowly, hardly trusting her voice. "Why are you trying to restart with me? I told you, you don't have to try to love me."

Naruto looked up at her. "But what if _I_ want to?" He stood, dusting off his pants, but he never took his eyes off of her, intensely staring at her with those beautiful eyes of his. There was no smile; there was no grin; there was no sort of amusement here. He was serious, and it was making her feel faint. "You think you're the only one who can admire someone? I admire _you_."

She gaped, as he continued. "I have since the exams when we were kids. Remember what I told you before? You may come off as weird, but you know what? I like weird."

Then he grabbed her hand. Hinata could feel her heart hammering in her chest. _'Is… is this all real? I'm not in that infinite genjutsu again, right? Naruto-kun's holding my hand!'_ And just like last time he held her hand, it felt warm.

"Despite what you think, Hinata, you've been strong for a long time. In my eyes, when I look at you, you're still that fierce, defiant girl I see back in the exams. You've accomplished so much from there. You've took on Pein and survived; you were a huge asset in the Fourth War; you've helped me keep fighting, even after Neji died. If he could see you now, he would be proud, just like I am."

"Y-You think?"

"I _know_." Naruto smiled. "So, maybe, I want to share our strength together. Maybe I want you there too. I'm not saying I love you, but I'm willing to give it a shot – if you let me." Naruto chuckled. "Again, I'm new to the boyfriend thing, so go easy on me."

She looked at him, feeling his hand still on hers. She knew from right here, she could say no. She could just run away, and she wouldn't be blamed. However, she didn't want to run away. She was tired of running away. Naruto was here, opening himself for her, and she almost threw away the opportunity. He might have still been in love with Sakura, but he was trying to get over her. Yes, what he was saying was far from what she dreamt of hearing one day from him, and he wasn't confessing his love for her at all.

But he was willing to try, to chance it, and now, she was too.

So she squeezed gently back at him, gave him her best smile, and responded, "I'm new to the girlfriend thing too."

 _End_

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 **A/N:** A little one-shot as I write up the other chapters of my story. This was created out of my desire for a better ending of _Naruto_ then what canon is. Although, yes, in this fic Naruto still ends up with Hinata, I felt how Naruto ended up with her in the movie and the ending of the manga was pretty "tacked on", as in rushed, and just thrown in there. The manga's ending kind of disappointed me in several ways, as I am sure it did for many people but the ending was kind of a slap to NaruSaku fans. I'm not a fan of that pairing, but I even thought it would be NaruSaku. Like, Hinata didn't even get really any screen time at all in this manga, and now she's married off to the main character, just like that? First, Naruto kind of just fell in love with Hinata in an hour in the movie, and then, according to the manga, married her dumb quick after a few months of dating. Perhaps ninjas get married relatively quickly out of worries of dying on the battlefield and what not, but it still felt pretty rushed. I don't know, that's how I feel.

But I am quite content the way this story came out. Perhaps I will write a companion fic for this one-shot, like how Naruto felt with seeing Sasuke and Sakura before Sasuke leaving the village again, or maybe the future of this NaruHina pairing, but that will not come so quickly.

Anyway, thanks for reading.


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